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New Surveillance Footage of a East LA Tunnel Police Pursuit

A police pursuit in February ended in the a Metro tunnel in East LA, and NBC4 obtained surveillance footage of the capture. (Published Monday, Sept. 24, 2018)

A wild East Los Angeles police pursuit in February concluded with the suspects escaping into Metro Gold Line tunnel in a scene out of a movie, and NBC4 obtained the surveillance footage from inside the tunnels.

New video captured by Metro cameras outside and inside the tunnel show the truck entering the narrow passageway less than 30 seconds after a commuter train, hinting at how catastrophic the act could have been if the timing had been off ever so slightly.

The male driver and female passenger ditched the pursuit vehicle once inside the tunnel and found their way into an "evacuation passage" intended only for emergencies.

With few options for escape and police hot on the trail, the male passenger can been seen hiding under the floorboards.

The female passenger decides to take off on her own and leaves the room, with video showing her making her escape. She was not apprehended.

Moments later, three officers entered the evacuation room with guns drawn. Almost immediately, the officers focus on the floor and quickly discover the suspect, 27-year-old Rafael Lopez Jr.

Lopez surrendered without incident and pleaded no contest to three felony counts, including evasion and committing a hit-and-run. He was sentenced to two years in state prison.